Gophers volleyball team beats Indiana in straight sets

The third-ranked Gophers volleyball improved to 15-0 in the Big Ten on Friday with a sweep of Indiana, 25-12, 25-17, 25-22, on senior night at the Maturi Pavilion.

Regan Pittman put up a team-high 11 kills, five in the first set, while hitting .350 for the Gophers (21-2). Stephanie Samedy had 10 kills while hitting .526 and recorded four blocks. Adanna Rollins set a career high with 16 digs. CC McGraw had 15 digs and Lauren Barnes had 12 in the back row. Samantha Seliger-Swenson, who was honored Friday evening with fellow seniors Kayla Buford and Sophie Beckley, recorded 36 assists.

The Gophers breezed through the first two sets, taking leads of 8-1 and 16-7 in the first set and 7-2 in the second. But the Gophers broke a 10-10 tie in the third with three consecutive points, only to see Indiana (15-11, 6-9) battle back to tie at 15-15 and 19-19 before Minnesota took a 21-19 lead as Indiana called its second timeout of the set. Samedy later pushed the score to 23-20 on a kill, and Pittman finished off the match with her 11th kill.

The Hoosiers, who face No. 8 Wisconsin on Saturday night, are facing back-to-back ranked opponents for the second weekend in a row. Last weekend they beat No. 15 Michigan and lost a five-setter to No. 12 Purdue, the Gophers’ opponent on Saturday.